Music In Mp 3 Format example essay topic

Mp 3 argument The Next Revolution in Music Technology: Make or Break? Throughout life I have encountered several different mediums of music including eight-track recordings, vinyl records, cassette tapes, mini-discs, digital audio tapes (DAT), and compact discs. I have always considered the CD to be the greatest technological advancement (as a medium of music) of my generation because it was the first digital audio format made readily available to the general public. Because of the CD, people were hearing music like they had never heard it before - exactly as it would sound in the artist's recording studio. Among other things, we have digital audio technology to thank for that. But we have recently been presented with something new that some may give thanks for - Moving Picture Experts Group Technology, Layer- , better known as MP 3.

To those "outside" the complicated world of the Internet and technology, MP 3 probably will not ring any bells. But anyone who has accessed the Internet or skimmed through any popular magazines lately will likely recognize MP 3 and the propaganda surrounding it. I do not want to bombard you with numerous technological terms, but a brief explanation is necessary in order to understand arguments surrounding the issue. MP 3 is anew way to save, copy, and play audio files on a computer.

The audio files are near CD-quality and take up very little space on a computer's hard drive. Previously, high-quality audio files were saved on a computer in WAV format, which takes up much more hard drive space than MP 3. For example, a three-minute WAV file would use about 30 megabytes of disk space. But in MP 3 format, the same song would use only two megabytes, leaving much more hard drive space available on the computer (which benefits the computer user). Because MP 3 files are typically less than five megabytes in size, they can be transferred very quickly and easily to and from anyone's computer via the Internet.

MP 3 allows computer users to copy their favorite songs from CDs or other sources, onto their computer's hard drive - ideal for playback when working at the computer. MP 3 also makes it possible to convert your own personal recordings into digital audio files that are very easy to distribute. The interest and popularity surrounding MP 3 has grown so much in the past few months that consumer electronic companies are even beginning to manufacture portable MP 3 players. The players connect to a computer, and MP 3 files are transferred to them, allowing users to utilize the portable unit the same way they use a portable cassette or CDplayer.

As you may see by this brief overview, the new audio format has generated a lot of activity. As far as obtaining MP 3 audio files goes, there are thousands of web sites dedicated to supplying the files (mp 3. com, mp 3. box. sk, mp 3. ly cos. com). An Internet surfer can search for music in MP 3 format, and by the simple click of a button, have the music transferred to his or her computer in as little as five minutes or even less. What types of music are available in MP 3 format? Any type one could imagine.

While a portion of MP 3 files in existence are created by individual, unsigned music artists, there is also a large amount of commercial, copyright-protected music freely available for download from the Internet. This is the beginning of a complicated argument. Now that it is possible for consumers to download copyrighted material free of charge, major record labels have a great fear. "Tons of people use it [MP 3] online, but most big record labels have not embraced it for fear of privacy, since the format also allows for widespread copying of illegal files". (Sullivan 1999). On the other hand, MP 3 technology has given the unsigned artist an opportunity to expose their music to millions of Internet surfers every day, increasing the artist's popularity and ability to profit from his or her music without the need or assistance of a contract record deal with a major recording label.

Another way to think of it is that MP 3 has paved the road to potential stardom for any artist who distributes music in MP 3 format. After all, this new technology allows anybody to create and distribute their music via MP 3 without any restrictions or regulation, worldwide. This quite possibly could lead to an era in music where record labels become obsolete, and every musician controls his other own destiny by their own promotion and distribution of music in MP 3 format. In an interview for Wired Magazine, rap artist Chuck D said MP 3 "won't destroy the record companies. [It] just will split the market" into a world with something like "a million artists and 500,000 labels". (Orr 1999).

The new MP 3 format needs to be regulated to prevent copyrighted material from being freely distributed. This would protect the profits and integrity of record labels. Regulation of only copyrighted material would still allow for the aspiring / to generate a presence in the world of music. Currently, actions are being taken to outlaw MP 3 distribution, mainly by record companies. As record companies try to protect their market, they are also taking away from the aspiring musician. If any legislation passed, it should only ban the distribution of copyrighted material.

The emergence of MP 3 has tremendously excited unsigned musical artists. Many believe this is the beginning of a musical revolution where the "little guys" are going to conquer the "big guys". ZDNet, an online magazine, recently interviewed Michael Robertson, CEO of MP 3. com which is an web site devoted to the distribution of MP 3 files created by independent / unsigned musicians. "People keep asking me, 'When are you going to sign Madonna, When are you going to sign Michael Jackson?' said Robertson. "But this is a bottoms-up revolution. When you " re leading a revolution, you don't grab the king and say, 'I've got a good idea, let's overthrow the kingdom.

' " (Orr 1999). In doing research for this essay, I was driving home from the library when I heard a song on the campus radio station. The topic of MP 3 was on my mind as I was listening to the particular song that was playing (which I happened to take a liking to). I paid close attention when the DJ mentioned the artist's name and the title of the song. To learn more about the accessibility to specific MP 3 titles, I performed a quick search on the Internet when I returned home.

It took about two minutes to find the song I had just heard on the radio. I proceeded to download the MP 3 file to my computer's hard drive. After the download was complete (which took about three minutes) I played the song to examine its audio quality. I was shocked to find that the same song actually sounded better than what had just heard on the radio. So what does this all mean?

I had heard a song by a commercially-recorded and licensed musician (copyright protected), and had acquired the recording in its entirety within minutes, without spending a dime. As a musician myself, the concept frightens me. It has always been a dream that my musical talents and abilities would one day become my source of income, supporting me and my family. If unregulated distribution of copyright protected music continues to prevail, it is possible that musicians will no longer profit (monetarily) from their God-given talents.

Not only would musicians go broke, but they would also lose recognition of their skills and talents. It would become quite simple for someone to obtain a song in MP 3 format and distribute it as his or her own, leaving the entity of music as nothing more than a vast pool of rhythms and melodies with no link or correlation as to who created it.